Sonnenblumen

Yellow sunflowers, a blue background, and an African mask. In this still life, Erich Heckel combines motifs which appear numerous times in his work from 1913. The Expressionist artist developed an interest in African folk art—as did his friends from the Brücke group—during his time in Dresden, while his brother, who worked in Africa as an engineer, supplied him with further sculptures. Heckel’s move to Berlin in 1911 initiated a new creative period which is reflected in this still life.

More subdued color nuances begin to appear in his paintings, and outline—as exemplified by the sunflowers—begins to play a greater role in the form of a black line. This is the result of Heckel’s intensive exploration of the woodcut, a medium in which he would excel and produce graphic masterpieces. Here, with its planar manner of painting and angular contours, the still life radiates an elemental expressive power similar to that found in his graphic works.